Ohio institutions will go tobacco free on March 1; union opposes policy change
By Phil Trexler
Beacon Journal
AKRON, Ohio — They are as much a part of prison lore as striped uniforms and the sound of tin cups raking across cell bars.
For decades, inmates have reached for a cigarette, some out of a pack of Marlboros, some rolled by hand with Bugler papers.
To many, it makes hard time a little easier to pass. To others, it was a way to barter.
But as society moves away from tobacco, so, too, are prisoners. In Ohio, prisoners and their guards have been preparing since September to kick the habit for good, whether they like it or not ... Full Story